


Relate

by ArtistAtHeart1



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, Bonding, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd-centric, Jason and Roy find some common ground, Jason helps, Jason is a Good Friend, Mild Language, Past Drug Addiction, Past Drug Use, References to Drugs, Roy Harper is Arsenal, Roy Harper-centric, Roy and Jason find something they can talk about, Roy gets hit with Fear Toxin, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin (DCU), Snowed In, Understanding Jason Todd, from Jason of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 08:10:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17700671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtistAtHeart1/pseuds/ArtistAtHeart1
Summary: What started off as an unplanned power outage in Roy's cabin turned into a topic that he and Jason are both familiar with, but on different ends. It would become the beginning of a respectful understanding and a helping friendship. Title subject to change, but I don't know if I will.





	Relate

A fire flickered in the fire place as another log was tossed into its stomach. With the power out and the snow drowning the outside, it was the only source of warmth that could be supplied. Roy was taking a routine venture out to his cabin and Jason reluctantly joined after Dick suggested he take his place in order to get out of Gotham for a while.

This, however, was not what either party expected. Stuck in a snow storm with no power and no heat until morning. Thankfully, Roy had used part of the sunroom for wood storage for the winter just in case.

The duo sat in front of the fire place in silence. Neither one seemed to know what to say. Setting up the fire and warming up was their first priority, and the thought of a conversation hadn't occurred to them.

"So, what made you leave the nest?" Jason inquired, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Roy replied.

"We all have a coming of age story. Dick became Nightwing because of his and Bruce's growing tension, Dick's growing desire for independence, and because Bruce fired him from being Robin. I became Red Hood because of my revival and my differing perspective on crime compared to Batman's. Then there's Tim, whose mantle was given to Damian. What was your reason for stepping out of Oliver Queen's shadow?"

Roy stretched out, leaning back slightly. Something in him felt a little uncomfortable about the question. It wasn't something he regularly talked about. Quite frankly, he didn't like talking about his and Oliver's relationship much, if at all. However, Jason did deserve an answer.

"Things started getting tense after a while." Roy stated. "Don't get me wrong, I'll always appreciate what Oliver did for me, taking me in and all, but a saint he was not. Though let's be honest, I don't think either of our mentors are, no matter hard they try. He still isn't perfect." Roy shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't exactly the star pupil towards the end of my Speedy tenure, if I'm being honest. I rebellious and headstrong. I made some poor life choices and paid the time for them."

Roy's attention shifted along with his emotions, leaving the conversation at that. His mind wandered to the weather and how they could stay warm with or without the fireplace if need be. Roy stood up with a plan in mind.

"I'll be right back." Roy promised. "I have a couple of comforters in the guest bedroom."

As promised, Roy returned with several comforters, some pillows, and another log for the fire. He tossed the log before offering Jason a pillow and a comforter. Roy wrapped the comforter around him, snuggly holding onto it.

The duo watched the fire dance. In the background, the whirling sound of the wind brushed up against the cabin. There wasn't much else that they could do, especially at this late of an hour. They went into an accepting silence.

"This reminds me of my first night on the streets of Gotham." Jason recalled.

Roy curiously glanced at Jason. What could have caused this sudden outburst was a mystery, but Roy had a feeling that he would elaborate. All he had to do was let Jason do that on his own without any questions.

"I hid inside an abandoned apartment with a group of homeless individuals." Jason continued. "It was cold, but there was a fire and worn out sheets. There was this kid, no older than fifteen dying." Jason shrugged his shoulders. "At the time, I thought it was a combination of hypothermia and some kind of infection." Jason let out a cold sigh. "I soon learned that he overdosed.

Roy curiously took in the story. What compelled Jason to share this experience was intriguing. It was also curious. It didn't sound like something Jason would bring up in a normal conversation. Least of all with someone he was just starting to get to know. However, Roy knew there had to b a reason behind Jason's reveal.

"So why are you telling me this?" Roy asked. "I don't mean to sound offensive, but this doesn't seem like a story that you like sharing."

"I don't know." Jason sighed. "Maybe it's the weather, the scenery, a little bit of both. It's a memory, one of many, that reminds me why I was never a fan of drugs and how they affect people." Jason shot Roy an awkward smirk. "Plus, you seem like someone who can understand where I'm coming from."

Roy returned Jason's smirk with a nostalgic one of his own. He couldn't deny that observation, though it was coming from a different perspective. Jason probably didn't even know Roy's experience with the topic. He probably didn't fully know why saying something like this to Roy was okay.

"Well coming from someone who's been on that side of the needle," Roy shrugged, "I think I can concur with your distaste."

Jason was startled by Roy's admission. He wasn't expecting to hear that from the archer.

"Let's just say I didn't win any brownie points with Oliver with that little stunt." Roy added. "I got reprimanded for it and he didn't look at me the same since." Roy grimaced the memory. "I went cold turkey, but not without seeing an O.D. along the way." Roy sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it at the time, but I would never go back to it. Especially after seeing that."

Roy curled up. He was ashamed of what he did. Even more so when speaking about it. Not many people knew about it, and he wanted to keep it that way. As far as he could tell, no one would want to hang around someone who's done what he has.

"I hope you don't think less of me now that you know." Roy admitted.

"Of course not." Jason accepted. "You said it yourself, you did your time. You were able to see what was wrong and change yourself for the better. As far as I'm concerned, you are a better person for learning from it."

Roy humbly smirked. Hearing Jason's positive feedback was something that he appreciated. He knew that he wasn't perfect, and that he still had concerns, but sometimes a little positivity was all he needed.

Roy promptly lied down, keeping himself covered in the blanket as he rested his head on the pillow. He knew he didn't have to say anything for Jason to know he was thankful. With nothing else to do, sleep was the only way to pass the time.

~

Coming to Gotham seemed like a reasonable venture. Roy wanted to help with a case that Jason was keeping an eye on for a while. It was a simply bust, dealing with a gang that was starting to make a name for themselves in Gotham and needed to be stopped.

However, a simple mission it was not. The gang managed to get their hands on some Fear Toxin and were waiting to abuse it. Red Hood was able to deflect the airborne weapon, but Arsenal wasn't so lucky. And without a helmet to prevent it from being inhaled, he was going to need an antidote fast.

Jason shot a few warning shots before chasing after the group. He was able to catch up with one of them, interrogating him. He was able to extract that Scarecrow was out and that the Toxin they had was to use on Batman, Robin, or both. Jason allowed the man to go before alerting Batman of Scarecrow's escape and the goons who had some of his fear Toxin.

As much as he'd love to take care of it himself, he had other things to attend to. Without his partner, he knew he had to go back. There was no telling what Roy was experiencing.

~

When Jason returned to Roy, he found that the redhead was on the ground. He was curled up with his head in his hands. As Jason got closer he realized that Roy was shaking and breathing frantically. He crouched in front of Roy, taking his helmet off with the now exposed domino mask still protecting his eyes.

"Roy." Jason whispered.

"D… Don't do it." Roy muttered, ignoring Jason. "I don't want to."

Jason knew he wasn't going to get Roy to focus on him at the moment. The Fear Toxin was making him hallucinate. That didn't, however, detour Jason from attempting to lead it.

"What don't you want to do?"

Roy's eyes widened, anxious about something. His hands shook his face, covering his ears, as he tried tuning out whatever auditory stimuli his mind was playing. He flinched forward in a panic.

"I don't want to relapse!" Roy loudly argued.

That was a problem. While Jason doubted that such a thing would happen, he was troubled by the fact that Roy was projecting that kind of fear. That may be a common concern for anyone who went through what Roy did, but Jason knew that wouldn't happen.

Hands knocked Roy's aside clamping onto the side of Roy's face. Jason forced Roy's face to get him to look at him. Snapping Roy out of it was the next step.

"Roy! Snap out of it!" Jason yelled. "You're fine. You're not going back there. You're not going to relapse."

Roy's attention finally started to focus on Jason. He was still shaking, but it seemed to be slowing down. His breathing did too.

"Jason." Roy realized, before pushing himself away. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Jason sighed. "It was the Fear Toxin." He pulled out a small pill. "Tale this. It's an antidote and is probably better than the alternative method."

Roy took it without question. He felt it work its magic pretty quick, his mind defogging easily. However, the implications of his hallucination still lingered. A hand covered his domino mask covered eyes in embarrassed distress.

"What if I do relapse?" Roy anxiously sighed.

"Bullshit." Jason brashly denied.

Roy looked up at Jason, stunned. He was used to Jason's colorful language, but the outburst still startled him. Jason wasn't pleased, clearly not taking Roy's hypothetical concern.

"You've been clean for what two, three years now, and you haven't yet." Jason argued. "I don't believe you will."

"But…" Roy attempted to argue.

"But nothing. Look, I don't know what's going on in your head, or what some people may have said to you, but I believe in you. You've been doing so well and I'll be damned if I let you lose all that progress, all that effort, because of one moment of hallucinated discouragement. I wouldn't have stayed if I didn't believe in you, and you would have left if you didn't care."

Roy was touched by Jason's words of tough encouragement. Though a little rough around the edges, he needed to hear it. Jason had a point. He had been clean for a while now, and Roy knew he should appreciate it. And while he had support from people like Wally and Dick, having Jason around felt a lot more comforting.

Jason stood up. He had enough patrol for the night and wanted to make sure that everything, and everyone, was okay. He knew Batman could take care of the rest, so Jason wasn't too concerned with leaving Gotham unattended.

"Let's go." Jason nudged, offering Roy a hand. "My apartment isn't too far from here, and I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Roy stared at Jason's hand for a moment. The offer had a slightly concerned undertone, but he knew Jason was just being friendly. In all honesty, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't drained by the Fear Toxin.

"I am too." Roy admitted with a grin, taking the offer.

Jason helped Roy get on his feet. Brushing off the nonexistent debris off of his pants, Roy soon followed Jason's lead. Roy trotted alongside Jason, his grin widening even more.

"Thank you for being a good friend." Roy thanked, throwing an arm around Jason's shoulders.

"Hey, you're the idiot who puts up with me." Jason accepted. "It's the least I can do."

Roy chuckled. He wasn't offended by Jason's offhanded insult, knowing it was in good taste. Offhand comments like those are what Roy enjoyed, with enough insight to know that it was just Jason being Jason. People like Jason were what Roy appreciated. Someone who could be hardheaded and brutally honest, but at the same time a really good friend underneath.


End file.
